\\"Sempre soube que a procura da perfeição é um hábito letal.\\" This profound statement sets the tone for the strange and captivating world of Garp. In this unique realm, there is a little bit of everything: writers, crazy feminists, single mothers, transsexuals, nurses, cycling bears, and more. It is a surreal world populated by eccentric and hallucinatory people who love, hate, betray, mutilate, kill, and die. The episodic nature of the story, filled with delirant, funny, and dramatic moments, is narrated with such art that one often finds oneself crying at what should be laughed at and laughing at what should be cried at. According to John Irving, this is a family saga that deals with the parents' fear of losing their children. However, in my understanding, it goes beyond that. It delves into the human need to create and maintain a family, whether it is by blood or only by love.

\\"Sempre soube que a procura da perfeição é um hábito letal.\\"



No Estranho Mundo de Garp há de tudo um pouco: escritores, feministas loucas, mães solteiras, transexuais, enfermeiras, ursos ciclistas,...


Um mundo surreal de gente excêntrica e alucinante que ama, odeia, trai,...; mutila, mata, morre,...


Episódios delirantes, divertidos e dramáticos, narrados com tal arte que, muitas vezes, chorei do que devia rir e ri do que devia chorar.



Uma saga familiar que, segundo John Irving, trata do medo dos pais de perder os filhos mas que, em meu entender, vai mais além: trata da necessidade do ser humano de criar e manter uma família, seja ela de sangue ou somente de amor.

A novel that truly revived my unwavering faith in the captivating power of fiction. I am simply in awe of Irving's remarkable ability to simultaneously horrify me and make me burst into laughter, all within the same page. My copy of this extraordinary book is absolutely chock-full of underlining, detailed commentary, and an abundance of sticky notes.

While I must admit that I enjoyed the world according to Jenny Fields a bit more, and towards the end, I found the novel had a tendency to slip into sentimentality. However, despite these minor flaws, I feel as if I have lived an entire lifetime with T.S. Garp and his dysfunctional yet endearing family. What an unforgettable and thrilling trip it has been!

I cannot contain my excitement and anticipation as I eagerly await to read more masterpieces from this incredibly talented author. Irving's writing has left an indelible mark on my literary soul, and I know that there are many more wonderful stories yet to be discovered.

The World According to Garp was the first of Irving's blockbuster novels that won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1980. It should be noted that there is an intense focus on sex in this book. For the most part, it can be overlooked. However, Irving is consistent in this regard and unashamedly adheres to a motif of explicitness throughout the text.

As a result, I didn't develop an affinity for any of the characters. Helen, Garp's wife, is perhaps the most likable, but she has her own set of issues and is involved in several affairs over the years, including being caught in the act during the infamous car accident scene towards the end of the book. Garp's mother, Jenny, is perhaps the most memorable character. She appears to be on the autism spectrum. Jenny has clearly achieved the most among all the characters, especially in her work on women's issues.

Notably, Irving is not oblivious to his own tendency to fixate on writing about sex. In the book within the book, T.S. Garp is also a bestselling writer, and his latest book is titled 'The World According to Bensenhaver'. Garp is criticized and attacked by women for his chauvinistic attitudes. Additionally, he writes a lot about wrestling, which I didn't find overly interesting.

Overall, I rate this book 4 stars. It is evident from the first pages of The World According to Garp that Irving is an extremely talented writer. Perhaps I don't give him enough credit, but this is a memorable book that is neatly wrapped up and one that I won't forget easily. His writing sometimes seems effortless, and it's easy to follow his plot lines. I simply wished he had written about something different. Eventually, he did just that with his masterpiece, Cider House Rules - a more mysterious and better constructed novel.

The Great Completist Challenge is an exciting endeavor where I embark on a journey to revisit older authors and attempt to read every single book they have ever written.

Currently, in the challenge, I have an impressive list of authors, including Isaac Asimov, Margaret Atwood, JG Ballard, Clive Barker, and many more.

To kick off my exploration of Postmodernist master John Irving, I decided to ironically re-read the only novel of his that I had previously read, 1978's The World According to Garp. This book holds a special place in my heart due to the 1982 movie adaptation starring Robin Williams, which had a profound impact on me as a pre- and early-teen.

The World According to Garp is a famously Postmodernist "metafictional" work. It not only delves into the life of a writer but also weaves in elements of Irving's own life. The title refers to Garp's belief that the most bizarre events in our lives are often taken for granted.

What makes Garp truly remarkable is Irving's ability to handle such a complex and academic concept with lightness and grace. It flows like a beach read, yet accomplishes so much.

Next up, I plan to read Irving's Garp follow-up, 1981's The Hotel New Hampshire. Although it was initially considered a letdown compared to Garp, I'm excited to approach it 35 years later, without the initial hype and expectations.

I'm looking forward to continuing this chronological journey through John Irving's works and uncovering the hidden gems within each book.

I'm not a fan of John Irving. Before this, I gave "The Hotel New Hampshire" a try. However, it failed to pique my interest. I've come across numerous positive reviews of "Garp", but to me, the humor seemed rather crude. There wasn't a substantial story to hold my attention, and quite frankly, I couldn't care less.

Interestingly, the background of this book is more captivating than the story itself. It appears that John Irving didn't know the identity of his father. He even threatened his mother that if she didn't tell him, he would create a fictional one in a book.

Moreover, his mother also felt that "Garp" was too explicit for her taste.

Consequently, this book has become yet another addition to my abandoned shelf. It seems that John Irving's works just don't resonate with me. Maybe I'll give them another chance in the future, but for now, they remain on the shelf, gathering dust.

There are those books for which the judgment remains suspended until the end: until the last page, I can't say whether I like them or not. Here, judging from the little stars, I can say that in the end the judgment was positive.

This is a complex novel, with beautiful characters, reflections on literature, novels within the novel. There is the grotesque, the plausible and the implausible. And all of it, written very well, although perhaps not the most flowing (in fact, I took a bit to finish it).

Would I recommend it? To many, but not to all. It depends on the reader's taste and preferences. Some might find the complexity and the various elements a bit overwhelming, while others might appreciate the depth and the creativity. It's a book that requires some patience and attention, but it can also be very rewarding.

4.5/5 stars.

Right from the very beginning, it was abundantly clear to me that this was going to be one of Irving's truly quirky masterpieces. As we accompanied Garp and his mother, Jenny, through the pages, so many strange and crazy things occurred. Each and every one of these quirky incidents only served to deepen my love for the book.

"The World According to Garp" is the captivating story of Garp, who had his ear bitten off by a dog during his childhood. His mother, a nurse, became pregnant through rather worrisome means. The book chronicles Garp's life from start to finish, taking the reader on a journey that spans from Vienna to New Hampshire and across generations.

Just like most of Irving's other novels, I adored this book to an extremely high degree! It engages with narratives in an interesting and engaging manner, especially since Garp is a writer and we are treated to actual excerpts of his writing (which are, I might add, delightfully quirky!). It is a story that delves into feminism, loss, transsexuality, and so many other profound and thought-provoking themes. If you are a fan of John Irving, then this book is an absolute must-read!

I really liked it.

It was lacking in nothing amazing.

It was a completely captivating book.

From the very first page, it had me hooked.

The story was engaging and full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The characters were well-developed and relatable, making it easy for me to become invested in their lives.

The writing style was beautiful and流畅, making it a pleasure to read.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read.

It's one of those books that you won't be able to put down until you've finished it.

Overall, I thought it was an outstanding piece of literature and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I vividly remember the time when I was young and this particular movie was released. It was during the early 1980s, and Robin Williams was on the verge of achieving great popularity. I myself never got to see the movie, but naturally, the name Garp remained firmly etched in my mind, just like it would for any child.

After all these years have passed, I finally managed to get hold of the book. However, to my disappointment, I found myself bored by it. It's like the Nyquil of the literary world. I managed to make it through about a quarter of the book, which took the better part of two weeks. So, I believe I gave it a fair chance. It wasn't terrible. I didn't despise it. In fact, there are even some people to whom I would recommend this book (but not you guys - I only recommend the very best and most exciting books to you). It simply wasn't the right fit for me.

Maybe others will find more enjoyment and value in it, but for me, it just didn't click. It goes to show that different people have different tastes when it comes to literature, and what works for one person may not work for another.

This broke my heart, then broke my heart a little more every time. Why did I continue? Habit, I guess. It’s damn well written even if not really a dazzling ball of a time. I always read through the pages no matter how upsetting because something better might happen, or something else. I guess in this case it paid off because, if you’re reading this, then I’ve written a review. I promised myself I’m going to write something worthwhile, but honestly I feel like this won’t live up to the sincerity, this’ll probably be crap. I just hope it’s the kind of crap that’ll make you feel better, or the kind of crap that’ll emphasize something important you already know, or the kind of crap that feels real, like my experience with this book. Well, here goes.

The World According to Garp is a powerful caricature of life’s odds and evens, a condensed experience of what hearts go through in all the years you’ve had and all that’s left. The novel tells the birth, life, and death of T.S. Garp, father, husband, son, writer, feminist, wrestler, and cook. His joys, his troubles, his weaknesses, his anxieties, all abound in the pages.

There really is a sort of characteristic richness to American literature that separates their body of work from other countries, and there is no better writer who exemplifies this literary richness like John Irving. It is a dying form really, works of grand narratives and sweeping lifetimes. But maybe in this dying field this book of fatalities called The World According to Garp is one of the best ever written. I know, it is quite unfair to generalize this as a book about deaths, quite hard to really pinpoint what the central theme is. It mires itself in a whole range of issues from feminism, rape, sexuality, infidelity, and parenting to name a few. In any case, it’s a book about life, fittingly, chock full with deaths. It’s also a very forward-thinking book about women and their plight, especially for a book written in the 70s. It’s a book about a lot of things, somewhat a little too muddled at times, but it’s got its heart in the right place, and a lot of heart it has.

One of the more significant elements to this novel is marriage. I’ve always approached the topic with careful apprehension. Not because of any experience, my parents’ marriage is fine despite its blemishes, better than most I would think. However these days I’m not sure about how practical it can be, especially among my disillusioned generation. Despite that, Garp’s marriage gives me a little insight to the flawed sensibility of marriage, if not its perfection. I have never forgiven nor tolerated infidelity. I’ve suffered at the receiving end of it, and it is one of the worst experiences a human can withstand. In my experience, I never forgave her. Yet in this case, I understood how married people can survive it. How marriage can work despite rough, gruelling patches. How parents, husbands, wives can learn to forgive, if not for each other, then for their children. I felt hurt reading this, but I felt love despite the faithless nature of human beings. Its raw emotions got through to me, I felt the glasses in my heart break and mend. I don’t want to seem impressionable, but after some thinking maybe marriage might not totally be a bad idea after all, just maybe.

There is this recurring theme in the novel of an ‘under toad,’ called as it is because Garp’s youngest son, always warned to be careful of the sea’s undertow by his parents, mishears it as ‘under toad’ and has always imagined a giant toad hiding under the sea ready to drown him if he ever strays too far. This symbolic under toad would go on to represent the anxieties and fears of Garp and his family, especially with regards to death. A living being, an amphibious undertaker, whose presence one never detects until it has come and plucked you with its tongue like an insect to be devoured. It does seem like an appropriate analogy. Like the underwater current transformed into a giant amphibious monster, maybe we do indeed transform death into a monster of our own imaginings. And maybe what we dread and loathe is something different from the final departure of a beloved. Often we fear the monster inside our heads, but then maybe what we fear is, in reality, a peaceful current taking those we love into the eternal sea we too shall reach one day. Is it really so dreadful? Maybe life really is like that, maybe the things that hurt appear from time to time, cloaked with our anxiety amplifying our pain. Usually it’s the surprise that elevates our suffering, coming out of nowhere, not unlike a slippery beast ensnaring its unsuspecting prey. It hits us when we are most vulnerable and we crumble as a result. You can’t blame people for seeing it worse than it is, but you can help the bereaved feel that life still has more in store for them, that life is still rich, that people come and go but our memories and our stories can never be taken by the monsters inside our heads. And in the same space occupied by our monsters, our anxieties, there lies our memories and the stories of the angels we hold dear. Life is bittersweet, but it’s not so bad, right?

“Horace Walpole once said that the world is comic to those who think and tragic to those who feel. I hope you’ll agree with me that Horace Walpole somewhat simplifies the world by saying this. Surely both of us think and feel.”

Garp always says that life is a tragic comedy, he’s not wrong. In life our strongest memories are often associated with either laughing or crying. Not opposite emotional responses but two beautiful things. When we cry it helps lessen the pain we feel, when we laugh it provides an outlet of joy we can share to those around us. They’re both infectious mechanisms as well, these outward manifestations of emotions like sadness and mirth enable us to empathize to the people who exhibit them. We all experience one or the other, sometimes, amazingly, both at the same time. Isn’t that also a nice aspect to life?

People are born, they fall in love, have children, make mistakes, they cry, they live through their mistakes, they forgive, they make mistakes again, they learn, they laugh, they grow old, then they die. Haha. Life is funny, is painful, it’s messy, it’s meandering, it’s even repetitive, but hey, it feels real, so does this book. It makes us think about our own lives, about the choices we make, the relationships we have, and the emotions we experience. It’s a book that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page, making you question and reflect on the very essence of what it means to be alive.

There are grand novels that possess literary merit, and there are those that may not be strictly literary but are cool, singular, and have a freshness and uniqueness that goes beyond normal literature, thus becoming more than just good books with literary value. However, this particular book fails to meet any of these criteria. It feels as if John Irving was tasked with writing a book that adhered to the above description: a cool, epic, tragic, and sprawling novel. But unfortunately, he doesn't succeed. This novel lacks grandeur, coolness, and literary finesse. It is sprawling and tragic, but these qualities are only beneficial when combined with other, more crucial aspects.

The beginning, which focuses on Jenny Fields, is better than the majority of the book that centers around Garp. Just like the novel that gave birth to him, Garp is not cool; he is not someone I would enjoy spending time with. I suppose he has a certain literary quality as he is a writer and has a penchant for Dostoevsky and Conrad.

There is one incident that is executed well, with the moments leading up to it effectively adding poignancy to the crushing event. Additionally, there are some good fictional elements within the book. The first chapter of one of the novels that Garp writes is presented in its entirety, and it is of good quality. However, these aspects do not elevate the novel beyond being average; they merely prevent it from being truly abysmal.

The last third of the book is overly expository and almost unreadable. I didn't have any particular affection for any of the characters, which isn't necessarily a requirement for me. If the writing were of a higher caliber, I wouldn't need to be invested in the characters' hopes and fears.

Irving seems to be piling up catastrophes perhaps because a creative writing professor once advised him to subject his characters to terrible things. He is too eager to maim a child or cause a sudden death. This would be acceptable if there was a proper build-up or if it was an essential part of the story. But generally, throughout the book, the execution is subpar, and much of the tragedy appears gratuitous and even senseless.

Writing a 600-page, cohesive novel is no easy feat, even if it turns out to be below average. Moreover, many people admire and love this book, which indicates that the author must have done something right. On the other hand, I am reminded, as I often am, of the words of a great philosopher:

"The person who writes for fools is always sure of a large audience."

Possible mild spoiler alert? I strive to make my reviews contain what a "real" book review should have - this requires some details. After all, what's the use of a review that only provides the information on the back cover along with "I liked it" or "I didn't"? That being said, someone apparently thinks my particular review contains too much. So be warned.

The book commences by elucidating how Garp came into being through the introduction of Garp's mother, the assertive and self-confident nurse Jenny Fields. Jenny Fields resolves that she wants one baby but has no longing for sex or male companionship - she is not influenced by lust, a theme that this book repeatedly emphasizes. This unlikely beginning has to be my favorite part of the entire book. Jenny Fields is an engaging and at least initially likable character. The first few chapters effectively set the tone of storytelling, another of the book's predominant themes. Moments of lighthearted irony are plentiful.

So Jenny Fields acquires her one baby in a resourceful and innovative, albeit strange, way, and never discloses the details to anyone. The book continues from the perspective of Jenny, now a school nurse at a prestigious boys' school, as little T.S. Garp grows up. Jenny and Garp travel to Vienna after he graduates from high school to write - for Jenny, her autobiography, and for Garp, a novel. Jenny publishes her extremely popular memoir, which instigates, or at least takes advantage of, a political movement. From this point on, the book declines for me.
I wasn't attracted to any of the characters after the initial connection with Jenny Fields. Most are clichéd, far-fetched, or actively irritate me. I never liked Garp's wife, the snobbish, bookish, brilliant yet stunningly beautiful Helen Holm. The post-operation transgender football player, Roberta, bored me to tears. After the narrative shifted to being Garp-centric, I also lost my connection to Jenny, although I still enjoyed her presence and looked forward to her opinions on various matters.
The book contains large sections of Garp's writing, presented in a different font. This technique is necessary to illustrate the differences and similarities between Garp's truth and his craft. Without it, it's not possible to truly understand what Irving wants you to know about Garp. I came to terms with the intermittent excerpts by the end, but the first few times I was annoyed by the distraction.
In the latter half, Irving replaces the whimsical irony of the first chapters with a dark, overemphasized version that perilously approaches "if you do this bad thing, HORRIBLE things will happen including mutilation and DEATH."
And speaking of irony, I must mention the "Ellen Jamesians," those tormented women who cut off their tongues in solidarity with a young rape victim named Ellen James, whose attacker did that to her. This group of women is, of course, a blatant example of the excessive enthusiasm for a noble cause. Neither Garp nor Ellen James herself can muster any sympathy for the Ellen Jamesians, and this rather high-profile conflict is what ultimately brings the book to a resolution. The problem for me was that this was just too caricatured. First, I had difficulty accepting that the rapist would cut out the girl's tongue thinking that would prevent her from identifying him (even though the book mocks the rapist for his stupidity in doing so). Even accepting that, it seemed beyond the most extreme versions of reality to think that any significant number of people would cut off their tongues for this reason (even though the book alternately mocks and feels sorry for them for doing so).
But perhaps the book, with all its excerpted fiction within fiction, was intended as a caricature. I am reminded of the chapter where Helen guesses which parts of the story Garp had just told his young son were embellished. In translating reality, Garp has the control to manipulate any detail, which may enhance it, intensify it, or change its objective entirely. In the latter half of the book, we see Garp lose control over that truth/fiction distinction, interestingly producing a work that is shocking but feels "real." Perhaps The World According to Garp is the other kind of story - one containing carefully hidden truth that isn't supposed to feel "real."
The book maintained my interest despite my negative impression of its trajectory. This, too, occurs in the story - as one character, in reacting to Garp's third novel, says (not verbatim): "Like it? What's to like about it?! It's horrible! Can I have a copy?"